Chosen Chapter 11: House Party
Part 6
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Billie landed on the floor of her bedroom and the conjured rope around her faded away. She took a deep breath and realized that final push had drained her. She looked at her hand and wondered if her powers were growing stronger. She had never felt a release of that much telekinetic force before. For now, she had other things to worry about. Her friends were still trapped by the demon, not to mention that stupid vortex was sucking up her brand-new house. That demon was going to pay for that.
When she noticed the door was trembling, Billie realized time was running out. She leaped up to her feet and turned to the others. "The athame has to be here somewhere." She said. "Spread out and find it."
"Billie, we've only lived here a few days." Violet noted. "How can this place be such a mess?"
Billie frowned as she looked around her bedroom, where clothes and other stuff was scattered all over the place. "I think we have more pressing issues right now, Vi." She replied annoyed. "Now will you please help me find the damn thing?"
"Fine, but you need to clean once this is done." Violet replied.
Violet started looking with the others. Billie looked around and tried to remember where she put it. After vanquishing the demon, she had thrown off her clothes and headed straight for the shower, so she was sure the blade had to be here.
"Hey, what is in here?" Tyler asked as he pulled open a drawer.
"No, don't…" Billie called out, but it was too late. The blond teenager had pulled open her underwear drawer and was holding one of her bras up in the air. He quickly dropped it and closed the drawer.
"Sorry." Tyler mumbled as his face turned bright red.
"Just forget about it." Billie replied awkwardly.
"Guys, come on. Our lives are in danger here." Duncan reminded them.
"Wait, I think I know where it is." Billie suddenly called out.
Billie ran over to the bed and kneeled down. She reached under it and pulled out the pants she had worn earlier. The athame was lying on top of them and the drops of black goo had ruined them.
"Oh, these were my favorite demon hunting pants." Billie said disappointed. "Okay, Paige said we can cast a spell on the blade to vanquish the demon."
"So do we have a spell?" Duncan asked.
"Maybe." Billie replied.
Billie held out her hand and a small leather-bound notebook flew off a shelf and into her hands. It was the Book of Shadows that she had started writing years ago on Leo's advice. She had copied numerous spells and potions from the sisters' book, so hopefully there was something useful. She had not looked at it in years.
"What is that?" Violet asked.
"My Book of Shadows." Billie replied as she flipped through the book. "I started it a long time ago. Paige knew about the demon, so it probably has an entry in their book. Here, I found it, but it is a power of three spell."
"So it's over!" Tyler called out.
"Not yet, our power as the Chosen might be strong enough." Duncan replied.
Billie nodded and the others joined her to read the spell. Meanwhile, the door of the bedroom started trembling even worse and began to crack. Behind it, there was nothing but darkness. This had to work. Together, they held the athame and started casting the spell.
"With wiccan words we witches implore,
To pierce the darkness at its core,
Enchant this blade with blood of the void,
To ensure this demon is destroyed."
As they cast the spell, the blade stated to glow and the demonic blood was absorbed into the steel, turning the blade pitch black. Billie felt the blade containing a lot of power, like a ticking time bomb. The door of the bedroom shattered and Valefar stepped out of the vortex. Billie flung her arm and her closet moved across the room to block the door and keep them from being sucked in.
"Defiant until the end." Valefar remarked. "It doesn't matter. You are only delaying the inevitable."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Billie replied as she held up the athame. "Look familiar?"
"Stupid witch, you know a blade can't harm me." Valefar said.
"Wanna bet?" Billie replied.
Billie flung the blade and it swirled through the air at its target. Valefar smirked as he turned to shadow and the blade moved through him, hitting the closet instead.
"Was that your best?" Valefar asked.
"No, that was just the distraction." Billie replied. "Now!"
Valefar turned around and saw the blade in the closet disappear in an orange glow. At that moment, Duncan threw a Bursting Ball from the left and Tyler a stream of fire from the right. The demon screamed as he was caught in an explosion and was thrown across the room. Billie turned to Violet, who tossed her the real athame. Billie caught it and spun around to stab Valefar in the chest. The demon stumbled back with a shocked expression and looked at the blade.
"How?" He asked confused.
"Simple." Duncan replied as he conjured another fake blade in his hand.
"You damn witches." Valefar hissed.
The demon screamed as bright white cracks started to appear from where he was stabbed. The blade sunk into his chest and the cracks spread to his entire body until he exploded in white light that covered the room. When the brightness faded, Billie saw the vortex was gone and her friends were lying on the floor. With the demon gone, his void had ceased to exist.
"You did it." Paige said as Billie helped her up.
"Well, we couldn't have done it without you." Billie replied as he held up her Book of Shadows. "Your family gave us the spell we needed."
"So what was it like in the void?" Duncan asked.
"Pretty much what you would expect." Nathan replied. "Endless darkness and suffering mostly. And you lose all sense of time."
"Are you hurt?" Violet asked concerned.
"No, it was more like it was all in our minds." Hope explained. "Now that we're freed, the feeling is already starting to fade."
"That's a good thing." Darcy added. "I don't think I want to remember."
"Me neither." Nick replied. "You guys sure know how to throw a party."
"I think the house agrees." Tyler added.
"Oh God!" Billie called out shocked. "The house, it's ruined."
A few moments later, everyone was standing in what was left of the living room. It looked like a hurricane had blown through it. There was almost nothing left except for a gaping hole in the floor. Billie was freaking out, as her beautiful new home was destroyed already. She had seen the manor get destroyed many times, but she had never expected it to happen to her house.
"What are we going to do?" Violet asked.
"In this situation, I think we can forget about personal gain for a moment." Paige replied as she held out her hands. "Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause the seen to be unseen."
Swirling white orbs engulfed the house and when they faded, everything had been returned to normal. All the damage and destruction was gone. Billie gasped in relief to see her beautiful house returned and hugged Paige.
"Thank you." Billie said happily.
"You're welcome." Paige replied. "Perhaps you should add that one to your book."
"Good idea." Billie said.
"Now, I think we should really get going." Paige said. "It's late and I'm sure Henry is worried."
"Great party." Tyler added with a smirk. "We should do it again sometimes."
"Oh shut up." Billie replied with a smile.
Paige gave her a hug goodbye and then she and Tyler orbed away. It looked like everyone else was getting ready to leave as well, but there was still someone Billie needed to talk to. As much as he annoyed her, she needed to thank Nick for saving her. She looked around and saw him talking to Darcy. They were smiling. For some reason, that bothered her a little.
"Hey Billie, I'm going to go home as well." Hope said as she tapped her on the shoulder.
"Of course." Billie replied. "Are you going back with Darcy?"
"I think she has other plans." Hope noted as she looked over at her friend. "I heard them talking about getting a cup of coffee."
"Coffee, right." Billie replied distantly. She turned around and saw Violet was getting her coat. "Hey, where are you going?"
"Magic School." Violet replied annoyed. "I need to have a word with Arthur."
"Are you going to kick his ass for not showing up?" Billie asked. "Because I can help with that."
"Me too." Hope added.
"No, he is my boyfriend and I need to stand up for myself." Violet replied. "I'll see you later."
"Good luck." Billie said.
"I'll walk with you." Hope said.
Billie said goodbye to Hope and watched her and Violet leave. At the same time, she noticed Nick and Darcy were leaving as well. When Nick noticed her looking, he smiled faintly and nodded. Billie told herself she was being stupid. She meant it when she said she was not interested in him, so why was him leaving with Darcy bothering her so much? After all, he was nothing but a jerk. She needed a drink and headed for the kitchen.
Xxx
When Duncan entered the hallway, he saw Don was getting ready to leave. Knowing he could not ignore his own brother, he reluctantly walked over to talk to him. Despite being an arrogant tool, he was still his brother and he needed to make sure he was okay.
"Are you alright?" Duncan asked.
"I'm fine." Don replied. "Like the others said, the memories of the void are already starting to fade."
"So why did you come?" Duncan asked curiously. "Really?"
"You know me, I like parties." Don replied with a shrug.
"So there is no other reason?" Duncan asked. "You just came to party and hit on married women? It had nothing to do with me?"
"Of course it did." Don admitted. "Duncan, you are my little brother. I wanted to see how you were doing. And now I know."
"Disappointed?" Duncan asked.
"Not the word I would use, but I do wish you could just be… more like us." Don replied. "The family misses you and they want what is best for you."
"They want what is best for them." Duncan corrected him. "I can't have this conversation over and over again, Don. I hoped that after tonight, things would be different."
"Why would they be?" Don asked confused.
"I saw what happened." Duncan said. "I saw how Nathan risked himself to save you. Does that mean nothing to you?"
"I am grateful for that, and I am sure he is a nice guy." Don replied. "But that doesn't change how I see things."
"You are never going to change, are you?" Duncan noted. "My family will never accept who I am or who I am with."
"As long as that person is another man, I don't think so." Don replied. "I'm sorry. I have to leave."
Don put his hand on his shoulder for a moment and then walked away. Although Duncan had always known his family did not accept him, hearing it was something else. He had always hoped they would understand some day, but it looked like that day would never come.
"Are you okay?" Nathan asked as he entered the hall. "Sorry, I could not help but overhear. You know, eavesdropping and all."
"I'm fine." Duncan replied. "None of this should surprise me."
"Family is overrated." Nathan said. "They are just the people you're born with. Not the ones you choose to have in your life."
"I know." Duncan admitted. "I'm lucky to have the people I have. So are you staying over?"
"Are you sure your friends are okay with that?" Nathan asked.
"Of course we are." Billie said as she entered the hallway. "Sorry, I wanted to know if you guys wanted to order a pizza. I'm starving."
"Sounds good." Nathan replied.
"How much of that did you hear?" Duncan asked suspiciously.
"I heard enough." Billie replied with a smile.
Billie headed to the living room and Duncan could not help but smile. He realized he did not need his family as long as he had his friends. They were what really mattered, the people who meant most to him. If his family wanted to be a part of his life, they were welcome, but for now, he was happy enough without their approval.
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As she walked across the grand hall of Magic School, Violet reminded herself that she was angry. She needed to be confident and stand up for herself. Arthur had stood her up and she did not deserve that. She had been supportive of his research, but enough was enough. The party was important to her and he had not even shown up. When she reached his office, she stormed in.
As Violet had suspected, Arthur was asleep at his desk with his head buried in his research papers. She noticed a pitcher of water standing on his desk and picked it up. She needed to be bold and make a statement, so she threw the water on him. Arthur gasped as the cold water woke him. He looked disoriented.
"Vi." Arthur said confused. "What happened?"
"I don't know, you tell me." Violet replied as she crossed her arms. "You forgot my party."
"I didn't forget, I was…" Arthur mumbled. "I don't know what happened. When did I get back here?"
"Looks to me like you never left." Violet replied. "You fell asleep and forgot."
"I feel weird." Arthur said. "Like something happened, but I can't remember."
Violet noticed that Arthur was genuinely confused and disoriented. She almost gave in, but then reminded herself she deserved to be angry.
"You got so wrapped up in your research that you spaced out." Violet said. "I think this Wizard thing is really becoming an obsession."
"I… Maybe you're right." Arthur admitted hesitantly. "I have been so focused on it. And I feel like I'm very close to an answer, but it's like my mind is playing tricks on me."
"Well, I think you need to take a break." Violet replied. "This is not healthy. I'm going home. You can find me when you're ready to apologize."
Violet turned around and left the office. She hated confrontations, but she was proud of herself. Last year, she would have never been able to stand up for herself due to her insecurities. She was growing up and becoming more confident. She deserved a boyfriend who was there for her. She just hoped that Arthur would see that in time.
Xxx
Ambrose sat at his desk and looked out his window while Harper poured him a glass of his favorite whiskey. Tonight had gone as he had predicted, though not as he had hoped. He had hoped Arthur would be more understanding. There was a knock on the door and Bryant entered the office. Harper handed Ambrose the glass and he took a sip.
"Can I get one of those, sis?" Bryant asked.
"Get it yourself." Harper replied as she leaned against the desk.
"Enough. Is it done?" Ambrose asked impatiently.
"He is back at Magic School. I made it look like he never left." Bryant replied. "Are you sure he is not going to expose us to the witches?"
"I'm positive." Ambrose said. "He couldn't even if he wanted to."
"Did you wipe his mind?" Bryant asked.
"Not wiped, but altered." Ambrose explained. "All the memories are still there, just below the surface. He knows the truth, but he doesn't realize it yet. When the time is right, he will understand. And then he will make the right choice."
"What do we do in the meantime?" Bryant asked.
"We proceed as planned." Ambrose replied. "After all, we cannot restore the glory of the Wizards without getting you your immortality back first."
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The End